Loom shedding mechanism



y 1930. w. s; WELLS Q l,75 .9 530 LOOK SHEDDING MECHANISM Filed Aug 30,1928 Patented May 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WILLIAM S. 'W'ELLS,OI" LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, TO WONDERWEAVE, INC., 01 BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OI MASSACHUSETTSLOOK SHEDDING MECHANISM Application filed August 80, 1928. Serial No.302,896.

The, object of this invention is to provide a simple, reliable andefficient means for'effecting in. any predetermined order the movementsof warps in the forming of warp-sheds in weaving. In that form of theinvention herein shown, given atpair of actuators reciprocating inopposite directions together toward and together from an intermediateplane and the system to shift the warps to form the sheds, atransfer-coupling means is employed which is operative at will to couplesaid system and either actuator and discontinue the coupling of saidsystem and the other actuator when they are in the portions of theirranges of movement approximating said plane; thus, according to'apattern which may be used to control the coupling means, the shaft andhence the warps connected therewith may have imparted thereto amovement-through the space from one extreme to the other of the combinedranges of movements of the actuators or a movement through a space fromeither such extreme to an intermediate position (where the couplingoperation takes place) and back, and, depending on the pattern, themovement of either kind may continue. as reciprocation for any selectedtime-period. This will serve to concisely describe the invention in theexample herein shown and to be more fully described hereinafter.

In the drawing,

Fig. 1 shows the mechanism partly in side elevation and partly invertical section on line 11, Fig. 2;

F Fig. 2 is a horizontal section i 1; Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1showing the parts in the positions in which two harness. shafts arefully up and another fully down; andv Fig. 4 is a section on line H,Fig.3.

on line 22,

The mentioned"actuators are shown as them on opposite sides of itsfulcrum by pitmen 5. The means 1, 2, 4 and 5 in" the present case, iscontinuously oscillated.

The mentioned system here includes a harness shaft 6 sliding verticallyin. guides 7 and having of course heddles or other provision (not shown)for receiving and imparting shed-forming movements to warps; a. lever 8fulcrumed at 9 to move up and down; and means 10 to link the shaft tothe lever.

The mentioned coupling-means here includes the coupling proper orcoupler 11 havingnotches 11 and 11 to receive'and catch the respectiveactuators 1 and 2 and pivoted therbetween to lever 8; a lever 12fulcrumed on a shaft or other fulcrum-member 12; a link 13 pivotallyconnecting this lever and the coupler and a spring 14 connecting thelever with some fixed point.

Finally, let 15 represent a suitable cylinder I having a peg or pegs orother means 16 to cause shifting of the lever 12 when'such cylinder(here serving as the pattern means) is left or permits it to move to theright. Therefore the system may be reciprocated between the positionsAB, BC or AC, in each case continuing for any period of -time accordingto control from the pattern; treating positions A and C as open-shedpositions and position B as the closed shed position, subject to thecontrol of the pattern the system will in other words either bereciprocated from one opento the closed-shed position and back, one suchreciprocation in that case corresponding to each complete reciprocationor cycle of the actuators, or reciprocated from one to' the otheropen-shed position, the movement in each direction in that caseinvolving a transfer from one actuator to the other at closed-shedposition B and corresponding to two' complete reciprocations of theactuator. Otherwise viewed, the shaft 6 thus proceeds from theclosed-shedpositionto either open-shed position (depending on thepattern) and back on each cycle of lever a y and hence of the actuators.

Now if the systems and couplings are multiplied various arrangements ofthe warps to form sheds according to the pattern to be woven willmanifestly be ossible. Thus, in Fig. 3, two of the shafts s own are upand one down and so long as their couplers retain the positions shownthe warps for the two shafts will in a sequence of shed-formationsremain up and-for the one shaft down; but if on one of the approaches ofthe actuators toward each other a transfer occurs, the shaft 6 affectedwill continue in the direction in which it was last moving and begin toreciprocate on the opposite side of position B, so that if its warp wasup it will now be down, or vice versa. 7

The parts 12, 13 and 14 constitute means to apply elastic pressure tothe coupler 11, to shift it in either direction, i. e., into couplingengagement with either actuator, thus: In the position of these partsshown by Fig. 1', where no peg of the pattern means is acting, saidparts have applied elastic pressure to shift the coupler into couplingengagement with the actuator 2, lever 12 then having its fulcrum at 12;but in the position to which said parts will be moved on presence of apeg engaged with lever 12, said parts will have applied elastic pressureto shift the coupler into coupling engagement with actuator 1, thefulcrum of lever 12 being then where it bears on the peg. Lever 12 isfree to oscil late in response to the rectilinear motion of the couplerwhen the latter is engaged with the actuator 2 because then no peg isopposed thereto; to offer the lever such freedom when a peg is opposedthereto a slot 12* receives the fulcrum member 12. The elastic pressureis of course desirable as avoiding looseness of the parts and insuringthe maintenance of the coupling between changes, and on the whole it isan element contributing largely to the simplicity and efiiciency of themechanism.

As a safeguard against any possibility of any of the couplers 12becoming uncoupled when out of the transfer position there may be anyretainer as a fixed guide plate 17.

. Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim is:

1. Means to effect shedding of warps in weaving including a pair ofactuators reciprocating in opposite directions together toward andtogether from an intermediate plane, a shiftable warp-shifting system, atransfer coupler shiftable with said system and also oscillatory withrespect thereto into coupling engagement with either and out of couplingengagement with the other actuator, and means to oscillate the couplerincluding a back-and-forth movable member with respect to which thecoupler is oscillatory, and a link to transmit oscillations from saidmember to the coupler and pivoted to each of them and shiftable with thelatter and with respect to the former of them.

2. Means to effect shedding of warps in weaving including a pair ofactuators reciprocating in opposite directions together toward andtogether from an intermediate plane, a shiftable warp-shifting systemincluding a fulcrumed element, a transfer coupier movable with saidelement and also oscilatory with respect thereto into couplingengagement with either and out of coupling engagement with the otheractuator, a backand-forth-movable member from which to oscillate thecoupler arranged near the pivot of said element, and a link pivotallyconnecting said coupler and member and having separatecoupling-engagement portions for the respective actuators.

3. In combination, a reciprocating actuator, a shiftable warp-shiftingsystem, a coupling means movable with and also back and forth withrespect to said system into and out of said position on the one hand tobear against said actuator and couple the same and said system and onthe other to clear said system and discontinue the coupling andyieldingly held in said position and including a lever shiftable acrossits fulcrum, and pattern means engageable with the lever to shift saidmeans out of said position.

4. Means to effect shedding of warps in weaving including a pair ofactuators reciprocating in opposite directions together toward andtogether from an intermediate plane, a shiftable warp-shifting system, atransfer coupler movable with said system and also oscillatory withrespect thereto in one direction into coupling engagement with eitherand in the other direction out of coupling engagement with the otheractuator and means to apply elastic pressure to the coupler to shift thesame in either direction.

5. Means to effect shedding of warps in weaving including a pair ofactuators reciprocating in opposite directions together toward andtogether from an intermediate plane, a shiftable warp-shifting-system, atransfer coupler movable with said system and also oscillatory withrespect thereto in one direction into coupling engagement with eitherand in the other direction out of conphng engagement with the otheractuator, and means to shift the coupler in either-direction in which itis thus oscillatory including a lever operatively connected to thecoupler, a fulcrum member against which the lever bears, and a springnormally holding the lever against said member and urging said lever inthe direction to urge the coupler in one direction of its movement, saidlever being movable reversely from said member to urge the coupler inthe other direction of its movement.

6. Means to effect shedding in weaving including a back-and-forth-movingactuator, 21 shiftable warp-shifting system including a lever member, acoupling means shiftable with and also back and forth with respect tosaid member into and out of position on the one hand to bear againstsaid actuator and couple the same and said'member and on the otherto-Idiscontinue the coupling, and means, including a pattern means, toshift the coupling means back and forth.

7 Means to effect shedding in weaving including a back-and-forth-movingactuator, a, shiftable warp-shifting system including a lever, a couplershiftable on the lever into and out of coupling engagement with theactuator, another lever, a link connecting the coupling with the secondlever, and means,

including a pattern means active on the second lever, for moving thelatter back and forth on'its fulcrum and operative through the link toshift the coupler into and out of coupling engagement with the actuator.

8. Means to effect shedding in weaving including a back-and-forth-movingactuator, a shiftable warp-shifting system including a lever, a couplershiftable on the lever into and out of coupling engagement with theactuator, another lever extending near the fulcrum of the first lever, alink connecting the coupling with a point of the second lever.

near said fulcrum, and means, including a pattern means active on thesecond lever, for moving the latter back and forth on its fulcrum andoperative through the link to shift the coupler into and out of couplingengagement with the actuator.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

WILLIAM S. WELLS.

